Image of Virgin Mary in Cordoba, Argentina.

According to the Argentinian ‘Diario Jornado’ (Trelew) of 15 February, an image of the Virgin Mary had appeared on a wall of the Hospital Militar in Córdoba. The Spanish language reports states:

“Believe it or not. A ‘supernatural’ event took place at the Military Hospital of Cordoba. There appeared the silhouette of the Virgin, just above a heater.

The image: Diario Jornado, Argentina

“Actually it was a huge surprise, something very motivating ,” said Commodore Peralta , director of the hospital. The man claimed it was “a manifestation of the Mother of God.”

“It was an unexpected miracle because here is a place for people to pray for their loved ones… “ he added. Hospital authorities arranged for relatives of patients to access the room to pray before the image.”

My guess is that the image’s position directly above the heater is the key. The figure was probably formed by thermal tracking (ghosting), which occurs when dirt, dust or soot in the air is distributed by the convection effect of the heater. When the warmer, dirty air hits the cooler/moist wall, the dirt and particles are deposited. Then human perception takes over, turning the random marks into meaningful patterns. That’s not surprising given that it’s a military hospital.

Mind you, it certainly does look like the Virgin Mary. Might be time to call the Vatican.